'Wake up,' someone whispered in his ear, the voice was unfamiliar and came from a woman. Though that wasn't his first concern right now, as he was suddenly hit by the cold temperature, he finally remembered that he was outside their village after going to hunt for fish for him to cook and eat.
His village had one rule: only the strong will survive. If you want to live and survive inside the village, you have to hunt food for yourself, otherwise, you won't have any sort of meal for the day, even if you're a kid like him…
Though that rule doesn't apply much to women and children of the warriors of their village. After all, the women had a role at home, and that is to give life and mother it, as for the children of the warriors, they live very easily since they are fed by their fathers who occasionally hunt every day.
As for Haru, he didn't have any parents or guardian, he didn't know when, but he long lived and survived by himself, joining the hunts that warriors of their village did every day and sometimes even fishing by himself with his self-made boat, if you could even call it one.
He questioned for the first time why no one was helping him or at least adopting him. Yes, he knew the rule, but he was still a kid, and they should still have the empathy to help him even a little when he was struggling. But he didn't question that anymore because he already knew the answer himself.
Life in this village was hard, hunting was difficult due to lack of animals, fishing was also very hard since they long exhausted their fishing areas a lot—after all, they fished every day and they only had a little area for fishing. So how could they help a little kid who would probably die soon when they couldn't even help themselves? Plus, they had a rule, which was heavily enforced by the elders and had already marked a space in their mindset for a long time: only the strong will survive.
Finally, Haru opened his eyes. "!?" The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was a naked woman looking at him with a smile. She had light golden hair and eyes and somewhat glowing white skin. Any man would have already gone insane by witnessing the view in front of him, but Haru didn't even bother to look at her body fully. "W-who are you?!" he questioned, his tone was more surprised than scared.
"Don't be scared of me. My name is Nova," Nova said with a sincere smile, touching her bare chest with her hands. Haru wasn't really scared, just more or less very surprised, after all, she was floating a little above the ice surface.
He had seen many unbelievable things since he was a kid, so this was just something new to him. Many warriors of their village were able to control water by their movements, and that was called waterbending, which only a handful of people could learn and master. There was also a memory of warriors in his village freezing the water they controlled almost instantly when they're building an ice structure on their village.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Haru suddenly remembered something. "How come you're able to not feel cold?" he asked. He looked again, and this time all of Nova's body. No matter how he looked at it, she wasn't wearing anything at all.
Even the people who could create ice only had minimal resistance to it, based on his observations over many years of joining their village hunts. So how did this naked lady not feel any cold at all when even he, who was wearing a thick layer of seal, could still feel the cold?
"Hm…" Nova put her finger to her lips and made the expression that she was thinking about something. "I think it's better if I don't explain it and show you how instead," she said after a few seconds. Then she opened her arms, showing her body to the fullest. "Touch any part of my body."
Haru just looked at the naked body presented to him with a curious look, he wasn't curious about her body but about why she was asking him to touch it. He didn't really feel anything when he saw her body, he just thought that it was a woman's body, and that's it.
He was just a kid without anyone to talk to. Being alone most of the time with the sole focus of survival, he didn't know about the beauty of a woman's body or why men lust for it. He didn't even know the word "sex" or any explicit words at all. If you taught him the word "sex," chances are he would think it's a type of fish.
Seeing that Haru was hesitating to touch her, she just smiled and slowly flew directly toward his torso. Surprised, Haru wasn't able to react, and when he was just about to shield himself from the potential impact, Nova's body passed through him like nothing.
"How did you do it?" he asked, dumbfounded by the experience. There were stories of ghosts or bad spirits that he could remember hearing when he was a kid, so he was starting to form a conclusion in his head. "Are you perhaps a ghost or a spirit?"
Nova giggled. "Something like that, but I'm entirely different from them. I'm much, much better and can help you. So… does that answer your questions?" she asked, then flew to his back and hugged his neck, which he didn't feel.
"You're here to help me?" Haru asked with genuine curiosity. Help him? Fat chance, there's something else that this woman needs from him, and that's why she's here. Probably to possess his body or take his soul like what the other kids said.
"Yup, I'm here to help you in every support-related thing," Nova proudly said. "And with my support, you will be able to get out of here alive today."
"Why should I need your help? I can get out of this place alive and get back to my village myself," Haru said seriously, no longer surprised or worried. She was a complete stranger to him, so it was a bad move to get help from her after all, he didn't know what her true intentions were. She wasn't even a living being at all.
Seeing that Haru had no intentions of getting help from her, she decided to show it. She opened her palm, and a blinding light suddenly appeared for a few seconds before it calmed down and vanished. Now in her hand was a transparent bottle with a golden cap, inside was a black liquid that seemed to absorb every light that came to it. "This is the Essence of Blank which I planned to gift to you," she said as the bottle floated toward Haru.
Haru opened his hands to accept it, but he didn't do anything with it yet. "What's this?" he asked, displaying the bottle between him and Nova.
"It's a liquid made from materials I can't tell you about yet and made by someone I also can't tell you about, but what I can say is that if you drink that essence, you will have the best talent in this world instantly," she said. "You have a talent, Haru, in waterbending, but no one has taught you about it, that's why you have not been able to utilize your talent. But by drinking this essence, even without a teacher, you will learn about waterbending very fast." She winked at him. "Though with me here, you don't have to worry about getting a teacher. So how about it, do you want to accept my support?"
"Why are you helping me? What do you want in return?" he asked. 'She definitely wants something from me…' he thought, but what is it that she wants? He was just a normal child with little skill in hunting and fishing. There were many warriors out there with better skill sets and bodies than him, which could make her goals come true easier.
"There's something I want from you…" Nova said as her eyes suddenly turned cold. Seeing this, Haru's body grew tense as he readied himself for any possible scenario he could think of. But before misunderstandings could happen, Nova smiled again. "I want you to be the strongest in this world, that's it, nothing else. Promise."
Haru breathed with relief. "Really? You just want to help me?" he asked. If that's what she really wanted, then there was no problem with accepting her help. She seemed to not be lying, but he still didn't trust her fully yet. "And about this essence, I think? Will there be any side effects that this liquid will give me?" he asked as he looked at the ominous black liquid.
"There will be no side effects, I promise. You won't even feel a thing at all, and there's no taste, it will just be like normal water," Nova said. "Can you trust me, Haru?"
"Fine, I will drink it," Haru said, his body was very weak anyway, and he himself didn't have a chance of reaching his village alive in this situation. His food was cold, and he couldn't even feel anything down at all. He hadn't eaten for a day, which made him collapse and become unconscious, and the village was a long way from here. "Before I drink it, can you change into something? I'm not familiar with seeing someone naked in this cold climate…"
Nova laugh, "I was waiting for you to say that," she said before spinning herself around with her hands up, them out of nowhere, she was suddenly wearing something. "How is it?" She was now wearing a long light blue dress with additional diamond necklace. Her hair style also instantly change and was now loose. Anyman would say she's the most beautiful but Haru just stared at her with a frown.
"You can always change?" He was frowning because she can always change but choose to remain naked, even though he doesn't feel anything about it, he found it uncomfortable to see a woman naked when they're the ones that should cover themselves most of the time.
Nova acted dumb, "I forgot, hehe," when in reality, she didn't. She just wanted to see if Haru had any desire for women body by showing him fully a body of one, one that is designed to be the most beautiful body in the universe... And he passed the test.
She had been watching him for the whole day now from back his village and until where he was right now. From what she saw, the only focus he had is to survive.
That's a good thing for her since other woman would just slow him down.
Haru sighed. "Alright, I will drink it now," he said as he slowly opened the cap which was easily opened up like there was an oil to it. He then slowly drink the content inside.
As what Nova have said, there's no taste to it, to his surprise. He also didn't feel anything bad but instead, he felt much better than before. The weakness on his body disappeared almost instantly and his legs was now easily movable again like he was back to his peak health.
Nova looked at him with a smile that seemed to be waiting for something. Haru noticed it and know what she wanna hear. "What you said is really true, thank you Nova," he said with little shyness. It's the first time that someone had truly helped him.
"Now lets move to the next part. Two Polar bear dogs are approaching this area fast, they're hunting for food right now so you have to get moving," Nova said while pointing at the west direction. She then pointed at a massive iceberg. "Climb on top of that for now, those polar bear dogs are fast and will reach you before you reach your village so the best option is to climb something they can't reach."
Since all Nova said is true and she also helped him as well, Haru felt that it's better to believe on her since she said she was here to support him. He nodded and started walking towards the iceberg.
He had an easy time on climbing the iceberg due to Nova instructions on where to hold and where to put his feet on, without her there's no chance that he can climb this giant ice and would just continue to slide down everytime he tries.
He had removed his gloved when climbing so when he reach the top, his hands felt numb and tingly all over but all that matter is that he made it.
Nova floated Infront of him and held his hand with her nonexistent one. "Don't worry, that will disappear in just a few moments."
Haru put the gloves back on. "Yeah, I know, I usually experience this," he said with cold expression, as if this doesn't bother him at all.
"As we wait for the polar bear dogs, why don't I teach you waterbending?" Nova suddenly suggested, making a humming sounds and waiting for his answers.
"I-I would like to learn, please teach me," he said, stuttering on the first words. This is probably the second or third time he asked someone for help and the only reason he was having a hard time to ask this is because he believes the other person will accept it unlike the previous attempts.
"Of course, as your reliable support, I will gladly help you!" Nova smiled widely, feeling that it's her time to shine to Haru eyes. "Now then, sat with your legs crossed and closed your eyes,"
Haru did as what Nova said and closed his eyes.
Seeing that Haru did it without hesitation Nova face turned cold for a few seconds before she turned back her smile again. She floated Infront of him and also took a meditation sit. "Now I want you to try sensing every liquid substance around you."
Haru did as she instructed and started focusing on sensing liquid forms around him but no matter how many tries, he couldn't do it but he still continues with more determination.
"Now remember every waterbending fights that you saw, observe their every movements and how the water flow with the movements of their hands," she whispered directly to his ear. "Open your eyes, Haru and stand up."
Then Nova pointed at the water around fhe iceberg. "Now try to immitate their movements while sensing those waters."
Haru nodded and started gracefully moving his hands side to side with smoothness, at first there was no movements on the water but as time goes by, a little part of it starts vibrating then a small amount of water suddenly floated and started heading upwards.
Haru smiled but continues doing his movements without a pause. "I did it!"
"Congratulations Haru, your now a waterbender!" Nova exclaimed, clapping her hands.
Just then, Haru was hit with the fatigue from moving without a stopped for few minutes so he stopped, making the floating water dropped back down. "That was amazing." He said as he roughly breath.
Nova crossed her arms and proudly smiled. Of course, with her teaching and the significant effect of the Essence of Blank, Haru was guaranteed to learn waterbending within a few minutes not extending 30 minutes. Haru already had a talent and the mindset for learning the waterbending long before she even appeared before him, it just that anyone would find it very surprising to find anyone learning waterbending within just a few minutes.
"Haru, look." Nova took his attention away and pointed down, where he was previously unconscious before. There was now two massive polar bear dogs sniffing the icy surface where he was before then trailing the path that he took to get to the iceberg, and when they're no Infront of the iceberg, they suddenly looked up, making an eye to eye contact with him.
Haru felt a ominous feeling. 'If I didn't listened to Nova, I would have died!' The two polar bear dogs below him is one of the fastest land animal in this world so even if he was running, he will be easily reach and eaten alive by these two.
He felt grateful but there was a question on his head, 'How come she knows about it?' Haru looked at Nova and she looked at him with a smile back.
Haru didn't question her but Nova knows the question on his head, though she didn't bother to answer it without him asking it personally.
As they're looking at each other, the iceberg suddenly shook a little causing Haru to look down.
The two polar bear dogs are slamming their large paws towards the iceberg, and with their weight added, it is causing very minimal vibration to the massive ice itself.
Nova smiled as she opened her arms. "Now we have a live target dummy!"
AN. New story! This one is entirely different from other fics, MC without canon knowledge and a purely OC-MC. But what happened when he was given the Essence of Blank? (Essence Explanation on Axillary Chapter!) And what if there's a weird... yet beautiful woman to guide him?
Canon won't happen here. The change will immediately noticable. That's all, enjoy!